They Forgot That Their Eyes Speak
by yuffiehighwind
Summary: Discord and Deimos fight over who gets to keep a phoenix egg, and an irritated Aphrodite is caught in the middle. Discord/Deimos.


**Summary: **Discord and Deimos fight over who gets to keep a phoenix egg, and an irritated Aphrodite is caught in the middle. Discord/Deimos.

**Notes: **This is an excerpt from a WIP I'm writing that's posted over on AO3 called "Always knew the melody but never heard it rhyme." (Yeah, I'm that chick who uses song lyrics as obnoxiously long fanfic titles.) Anyway, "Always Knew the Melody" takes place during my weird XWP/HtLJ series "An Eternity in Cheese Country," a ludicrous epic in which Discord, Deimos and Strife have been reincarnated in 1998 Wisconsin. Long story, no time to explain, but "Always Knew the Melody" is told from the still-immortal Aphrodite's POV and is largely about her life as Deimos' mother. (Cupid gets in some narration too.) In this chapter, Aphrodite is having a flashback to a dumb fight over a phoenix egg.

Like in the original Greek myth, Aphrodite and Ares are the parents of Deimos and Phobos, even though Deimos is explicitly their cousin in TV canon.

In this fic, Aphrodite and Deimos briefly discuss the events of S6E2 of HtLJ, "Love Amazon Style," in which Aphrodite accidentally enchanted some Amazons and Deimos used it as an opportunity to humiliate them and make them dig up an ancient artifact called the Kronos Stone. She also calls him "Deimie" in that episode, and he calls her "Ditee." I swear to God that detail is actually canon, and are you even surprised?

The only thing you _really_ need to know is this takes place ten years after S5E19 of XWP, "Looking Death in the Eye," and fifteen years before S5E20, "Livia."

* * *

**They Forgot That Their Eyes Speak**

"Hey there, skank."

Aphrodite stood outside one of her new temples, examining its beautiful facade, when she heard a voice. She looked around, then glanced up. Her sister Discord precariously sat atop a column, smirking down at her. The goddess often sat, stood or perched in high places, probably because she was so short and needed an alternative way to intimidate.

"I thought I smelled something funky."

Discord scoffed. "That's your own disgusting scent. Your perfume makes me gag. Clearly someone's overcompensating for not bathing."

"Oh, honey, I'm not compensating for anything. I'm not the one who wraps my body in thick leather and never washes it."

Discord jumped down and made a graceful landing on one knee. She stood up slowly, and Aphrodite lightly clapped.

"You didn't fall on your face. Amazing," Aphrodite said sarcastically. "That's too bad, because a good smack could rearrange that ugly mug into something scarier than just slapped-on slutty eyeliner."

"Eat me, hosebag."

"I'm sorry, but I don't eat pork."

Discord rolled her eyes.

"Look, this is fun but I'm actually here for a reason."

"Fun? Insulting me is fun?"

Discord gestured to herself.

"Hello? Goddess of Discord?"

"Fair point. What's your reason for harassing me?"

"Your son."

Aphrodite shot her a look that was a combination of disgust and confusion.

"Cupid? He's a sweet boy and he has a lot of work on his plate. I don't think he'd be up for scheming with a villain like—"

"Your other son."

"Oh, he's just kinda floating around. I don't really know where—"

"_Your other son_."

Aphrodite crossed her arms and said with a huff, "What about him?"

"He has something I want, and he won't give it to me."

Aphrodite snorted a laugh.

"Oh, I bet he does."

"Not that," said Discord defensively. "Eww! I would never!"

Aphrodite, who had basic mind-reading skills, knew that was a boldfaced lie. _So does anyone with ears_, she thought. Aphrodite could also sense love, and whenever she was around the pair, deep beneath the malevolence and evil that wafted off them, was a pink cloud of affection for each other.

Maybe she or Cupid had enchanted them as a joke and forgot to reverse it. That wasn't unlikely.

"What is it?" Aphrodite asked. "'Cause I'm busy, and helping you is the last thing I want to do."

"He has – he _stole_ – a phoenix egg."

"So?"

"So, I'm the one who found it, the egg is rightfully mine. But I can't get him to give it back. Maybe if someone he trusts," Discord gestured to Aphrodite, "convinced Deimos to retrieve it from its hiding place, I can swoop in and snatch it."

"Why would I help you steal a phoenix egg from my kid?"

"Because he stole it first."

"Why should I care? It's just a bird."

"Just a bird?" Discord said, holding up one finger for each point. "It's immortal, it's an amazing pet, and it would be great for my image."

Irritated, Aphrodite replied, "Discord, I just don't care. Besides, there are easier ways of stealing the egg without involving me." She pointedly glanced at Discord's chest, then back to her face. "Giving you compliments physically pains me, but I gotta say, Discord, those puppies aren't bad motivation."

"Fine," Discord said. "Don't help. But all you gotta do is ask him nicely how his day went, and the dumbass will hand you the egg himself. You don't know this, but for some reason, he trusts you'd never lie to him."

"That's crazy," said Aphrodite. It was the first time she'd heard such a thing.

"Go ahead, ask him. I'll make it worth your while."

"What can you possibly do to repay a favor like—"

"I'll leave you alone for a decade."

"Deal."

* * *

"Deimie," Aphrodite called. She wasn't sure where to start looking for him, or where Deimos typically hung out, since he didn't have his own temples, but she thought following a trail of fire-wracked villages near Thrace was a good start.

Her other son Phobos – his twin brother - had a vicious following. Worshippers made bloody sacrifices to him, even performing beheadings. Phobos was depicted on shields and in artwork, and the God of Fear's mysterious raw power likely garnered such devotion. Deimos tended to show up in person and immediately dispel any illusions he was terrifying or worthy of worship. Any humans expecting a firecracker like Discord, a brute like Ares, or a demon like Phobos were often sorely disappointed.

"Deimie!" she hollered, and her son materialized, this time as a turquoise bubble that slowly grew then popped to reveal his humanoid form. Sometimes his glimmer was red, and he appeared and disappeared in a bright cloud of color. Lately it was the bubble, and it was an unusual way to teleport that didn't surprise people like Discord, who knew his origins were unusual as well.

Like having the Goddess of Love as his mother.

"Hey 'Ditee," he said, his voice extra chipper to feign being happy to see her. She had interrupted whatever plan he had to torch another village. A woman and her child looked in their direction, and Aphrodite waved a spell to make sure they stayed invisible.

"Hi Deimie!" she said, her tone sounding equally fake. "How ya been?"

"Oh, you know, busy." He said, flexing his hand meaningfully. His fingers glowed orange briefly, then went back to normal, like lighting then dousing a candle. (Or flicking a lighter.)

"Good, good, me too. Listen, I just wanted to check in and see—See how you were—What is it?"

Deimos had tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at her. Suspiciously, he asked, "Where's Discord?"

Aphrodite scoffed. "Discord? My bitch of a sister? I have no idea. Off skinning puppies or something. I came here alone, just to see how my son has been doing. No other reason."

Deimos looked doubtful, but Aphrodite approached him and took his hand, gently patting it.

"It's good to see you," she said, and part of Aphrodite wasn't lying. The tiny part that could still picture him at one hundred years old, finally grown into the form before her and making the choice between love and war. Also, with the choice of outfit. He had rarely changed his general look, maybe some details here and there, over the last two centuries, and wow, somebody needed to intercede pronto and fix that shit.

"You too, Mom," said Deimos, still squinting at her suspiciously. Aphrodite linked her elbow with his and started walking away from the village, as if this were any other nice family visit and not a plot cooked up by Discord, or distraction from hurting more innocent humans.

"So, what have you been doing for the past ten years? We haven't seen each other since…" Aphrodite trailed off, frowning. "…what happened."

Neither said it aloud, but it had been ten years since Hercules killed Zeus and Athena killed Xena.

"Yeah, that was—uh-that was—Never mind." He awkwardly cleared his throat. After a brief serious moment, he said with a grin, "Ya know, I haven't _really _seen you since that whole thing with the Kronos Stone."

Aphrodite stopped walking and glared at him.

"You were a slimy scumbag, taking advantage of those Amazons!"

Deimos protested, "It was _your_ spell, Mom! It was entirely _your _fault, _brainwashing_ them to follow any man's command! Anybody coulda swooped in and mind controlled them. Hell, someone might have done worse than a couple musical numbers and some light excavating."

Aphrodite unlinked their arms, turned and jabbed his chest with her finger.

"They were working day and night digging up that stupid stone for you. And in that time, someone could have raped them."

"See? I told you there were worse things than kicklines and rock quarries."

Aphrodite made a loud, frustrated noise.

"Ugh! You're unbelievable."

"It was what? Twelve years ago? Puh-leaze. Water under the bridge."

"Why do all war gods lack remorse?"

"Don't wash your hands clean of what happened, 'Ditee," Deimos said. "Fighting with your husband isn't an excuse for one of the 'good guys' to enchant helpless humans. Or do you not care about right and wrong?" He laughed, not his usual high-pitched shriek, but a low, cynical chuckle. "The Goddess of Love, the most petty and spiteful of us all."

"Are you quite finished?" said Aphrodite, feeling like she'd been punched in the gut. It was the same sort of mind manipulation Discord employed. Two birds of a feather.

"Look, I'll cut to the chase," she said. "I heard you have a phoenix egg, and I'd like to see it."

The malice in Deimos' expression melted, replaced by a soft fondness. The shift was uncanny. Discord had been right - he really did like when his parents took an interest.

"Oh," he said, looking slightly guilty he'd goaded her so hard. "Yeah, uh, word travels fast, eh?" He giggled. "Ya know what, you're not a bad goddess, 'Ditee. We've got more in common than you like to think."

Aphrodite muttered sarcastically, "Don't I know it."

"I'll let bygones be bygones and show you, okay? Ready?"

Deimos held out his palm and materialized a glossy green egg the size of an eagle's, two by three inches in size. A genuine smile spread across Aphrodite's face. She reached out to touch it, but Deimos withdrew his hand.

"No touching, just looking. Ain't it a beauty?"

"Very pretty, and they're incredible creatures, aren't they? Phoenixes. They live forever."

"Technically," Deimos said, lightly touching the egg with his fingertips. "They die and are reborn. Over and over. Pretty lucky break."

"Yeah, pretty lucky," said Aphrodite. "Why do you want one again?"

Deimos shrugged. "They look cool. Imagine one on my shoulder while I'm—ya know—"

"'Setting shit on fire?'"

"Yeah, that."

"Please may I hold it, Deimie?" Aphrodite asked. "I'll give it right back."

Deimos said, "Fine," and handed the egg to Aphrodite. "Careful with it."

Aphrodite held the egg gently between her hands and smiled.

Then Discord materialized next to them, grabbed the egg and teleported away.

"Dammit, Mom!" Deimos screamed. "I asked you if Discord was here."

Discord re-materialized in a nearby tree, the short goddess going for heights again. Deimos wasn't tall enough to reach her, nor lightweight enough to sit on the branch beside her. She held up the egg between two fingers carelessly, as though threatening to drop it, but Aphrodite assumed she knew what she was doing.

"The phoenix is mine now, idiot," she said tauntingly. Deimos ran over to the tree and tried to jump up and grab her foot.

"Get down here and give it back!"

"You stole it from me first!" she shouted. Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

"That's enough, children!" she commanded. Ares would call the two of them - three, when Strife was still alive – children all the time, even Discord. In Aphrodite's defense, her sister was only two thousand years old, still a young woman, and Deimos was a baby at only three hundred.

"The egg is mine now!" Discord shouted, with an evil cackle.

"Not for long," said Deimos, pacing beneath the tree like a jungle cat.

"Oh, my gods," Aphrodite said, annoyed. "Stop flirting and just fuck each other already!"

Both gods turned to glare at her. Their cheeks reddened in embarrassment, because they knew they'd been caught.

"Yes, I know. I've known for ten years," said Aphrodite, in reply to their unasked questions. "Give me the egg," she told Discord with a sigh, because neither of these idiots should be raising such a remarkable creature. "And go bang his brains out."

She met Discord's betrayed look and raised an eyebrow, saying, _Seriously, girl?_

After a few moments of awkward silence, Deimos told Discord, "Just give her the stupid egg."

Discord looked shocked.

"What?"

"I said give her the damn egg!"

Discord held the egg to her chest protectively.

"How about we share joint custody and you can visit him when he hatches," Aphrodite said, half-joking.

"Fine," said Discord, dropping the egg. Aphrodite rushed forward to catch it. Her sister teleported out of the tree to Deimos' side. While she was checking the egg for cracks, they didn't notice that Aphrodite saw Discord take his hand.

Rather than teleport as separate glimmers, violet and green, respectively - or red if he felt like it - Discord and Deimos de-materialized in a blend of colors, and Aphrodite's eyes widened at the odd sight.

"Weird foreplay," Aphrodite muttered, tucking the phoenix egg in her bra. But that was her job, like it or not. Getting stupid people laid.


End file.
